Plane hijackers among eight executed in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hanged till death culprits of May 1998 plane hijacking case along with five other criminals in different cities of the country early Thursday morning, ARY News reported.

According to details, a total number of eight culprits including the convicted criminals of May 1998 hijacking case were executed in Hyderabad, Karachi, Sahiwal, Attock, Sargodha and Haripur cities of Pakistan.

Out of three convicts of the hijacking attack, two were hanged till death in Hyderabad Central Jail while one was executed in Karachi Central Jail amid heightened security arrangements.

Shahsawar Baloch and Sabir Baloch met their end in Hyderabad Jail while the third convict Shabbir Baloch was sent to gallows in Karachi Jail.

The men were convicted of hijacking a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Fokker F27 plane PK-554, carrying 33 passengers and five crew members from Gwadar to Karachi.

The hijackers wanted the pilot to land the plane in Bhuj, India but the pilot landed it at Hyderabad Airport where security forces succeeded in overpowering the hijackers without any loss of life or property.

OTHER HANGINGS

Amongst other hangings, a death row prisoner, a murderer named Mehmood Ali too was hanged in Karachi. Mehmood killed a child back in the year 2002.

Haripur District Jail witnessed the hanging of a killer Malik Khurram. Muhammad Akseer was hanged till death in Attock Jail over murder charges.

Ashraf who killed two people on a minor dispute involving children was executed in Sahiwal.

Pakistan lifted the moratorium on death penalty on Dec. 17, a day after Pakistani Taliban gunmen attacked Army Public School in Peshawar and killed 134 students and 19 adults.

The moratorium, in force since 2008, was initially lifted only in terrorism cases. But the government extended the order in March, directing provincial governments to proceed with hangings for all death row prisoners who have exhausted their appeals and clemency petitions.